Mitt Romney should be considered in the "first tier" of Republicans who could win the GOP presidential nomination in 2008.

So says U.S. Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

But it's too early to give just about anyone a lead in the race — even though Bennett can tick off half a dozen fellow U.S. senators who are clearly running already.

Romney, governor of Massachusetts, has not said he's running for president in three years. He hasn't even said if he'll seek re-election to his gubernatorial post in 2006, although the general belief is that Romney won't run for governor again and will concentrate on 2008.

Romney is well-known in Utah, of course, as the man who rescued the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics from scandal as the head of the local organizing committee. The Games were a much-praised success, even making money.

Romney got out of town fast after the Games ended in February 2002 so he could return to his native Massachusetts to run for governor. Even though the state is heavily Democratic, Romney won in a close race.

Bennett, who has become a known political insider in the Senate, where he acts in the appointed leadership position as chief deputy whip, gives several examples of where Romney is strong, and a few weaknesses, as well.

First, recent presidential political history could well be on his side.

In 1996, Bennett recently told the Deseret Morning News' editorial board, it was GOP governors who put then-Sen. Bob Dole over the top in the GOP presidential nomination race. Dole "did worse than expected in Iowa, and lost in New Hampshire."

But Dole had solid support from Republican governors, who went on the offensive and helped him win first in South Carolina, and then other big states with GOP governors rolled Dole's way.

In 2000, GOP governors got behind then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush early. "They decided that in that race, it would be one of their own who won. And Bush did."

Romney will be chairman of the National Governors Association in 2006. And 36 states have governor races that year.

Romney will be able to travel extensively in a number of states next year as part of his NGA duties, meeting GOP governors and/or GOP gubernatorial candidates.

He'll be able to call on those associations in 2008, says Bennett.

In local Massachusetts politics, Romney has done well. He's not raised taxes. He's strongly opposed gay marriage, shored himself up on the abortion issue. Except for the fact that he hails from a liberal state, even conservatives shouldn't have much to complain about Romney, says Bennett.

"Among the social conservatives, his biggest problem is that he's a Mormon," says Bennett. And the Religious Right may well have a problem with that. (Several very conservative religious groups don't accept The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christian faith, classifying it as some kind of cult religion.)